Evaluation of athletes is one of the toughest challenges in the modern world of sports. From the athletes point of view, the evaluation process is one of the most important parts of their athletic career, as it has a direct impact on whether the athlete is able to transition from playing at the high school level to playing the college level, or transitioning from playing at the college level to the professional level. There are many factors that affect whether an athlete is able to advance from one level to the next in their athletic careers. One important factor is geography, or where the athlete is located. For example, an athlete playing high school football for a team that is well-known for producing college level players is more likely to be evaluated by a college football recruiter and be offered a scholarship than an athlete playing high school football for a less well-known high school in a remote area, such as rural area having a small high school. Thus, the athlete's ability to get “noticed” and advance in his/her athletic career may depend on where the athlete grows up.
One way that athletes attempt to get “noticed” is by creating a “highlight” reel, such as a video that showcases the athlete's abilities and talents using in-game video footage of the athlete. Such “highlight” reels are commonly used today as part of the athletic evaluation process, but suffer from several disadvantages, most notably in the realm of team sports, such as football. For example, a running back on a team with a really good offensive line may be able to put together a lengthy “highlight” reel (e.g., due to really good blocking by his offensive line), while a similarly, or even more skilled, running back playing behind a poor offensive line may not have as many “highlight” reel worthy plays (e.g., due to poor blocking by his offensive line). Thus, a “highlight” reel is not necessarily the most effective tool for evaluating an athlete's ability individually. However, “highlight” reels continue to play a significant role in evaluating talent at both the college and professional levels, especially as a technique for athletes to get noticed (e.g., pique college and professional talent evaluators interest in recruiting/drafting the athlete).
After an athlete has been “noticed,” talent evaluators or scouts may investigate the athlete further, such as by attending games that the athlete participates in, to obtain firsthand knowledge of the athlete's abilities. The data obtained through these in person evaluations is then used to make a determination as to whether the evaluator (e.g., the scout, a college athletic team, a professional sports franchise, etc.) believes that the athlete could compete at the next level. Due to the manual nature of such evaluations and the significant number of athletes and teams, many athletes go unnoticed, and are never recruited to play sports beyond the high school level despite being equipped with the necessary talent and ability to play at the college and/or professional level.
Players that are not recruited to play at the college level may overcome their lack of being “noticed” by “walking-on” to a college team (e.g., trying out for the team). However, even this route presents its own set of challenges to the athlete. For example, even when an athlete is able to “walk-on” to a college level team, that player is often not afforded a full or partial scholarship to attend the university. If the athlete cannot afford to pay for his attendance at the university, they are not able to be on the team, which may prevent them from advancing their athletic career.
Athletes that are fortunate enough to play college sports continue to be subjected to evaluations, especially when they attempt to play professional sports. For example, every year the National Football League hosts a “combine” where college football players are subjected to various tests and drills designed to gauge the participants athletic abilities and intelligence in a variety of ways. Data obtained from one-time events, such as the “combine” may have a significant impact on an athlete reaching the next level. For example, in recent years some “combine” participants have performed much stronger than expected and surprises everyone by his performance. These players often experience a significant increase in how they are viewed by NFL teams, and analysts often discuss how such players “stock” is rising, meaning that the player's performance at the combine has improved the likelihood that the athlete will be drafted, or has improved the position in the draft where the player is likely to be drafted. Some people criticize putting too much weight on an athlete's performance at events such as the “combine” because it is a one-time event, and any athlete may have a bad day (e.g., perform poorly). Thus, events, such as the “combine,” while providing additional data to evaluate an athlete's abilities, are but one of a variety of tools or sources for data that may be used to evaluate athletes.